We all know that social media with its plethora of platforms is a great medium for distributing content and making it available to wide audiences. At the same time, content marketing plays a key role in how you educate and engage your target audience about your product or services.
This begs the following question: while most companies have different departments handling each initiative, wouldn’t it be better to unify these seemingly-disparate strategies? The answer is yes.
Below you’ll find four tips on how to align your social media and content marketing strategies according to “Marketer of the Year” Alan See, Principal and Chief Marketing Officer of CMO Temps, LLC.
Craft a Unique Brand Voice and Stay True to It
The way you communicate with consumers is essentially your brand personality. The words you use, the tone, the style of the communication—they are your brand’s voice and directly impact the public perception of your brand.
Now think of your brand’s voice as a digital identity—it reflects your core brand values into public communication. It should be unique and tailored to your specific audience. That is why it is important to maintain a consistent identity across all communication channels. To do so, look at your target audience and how they communicate. Then use language and tone that reflect your audience’s core values, and use them consistently: on your website, Facebook page, in email marketing strategies, and so on.
Make the Most of Retargeting
It’s no secret that most visitors only read 20% off a webpage, mostly scanning its contents. That’s because they are either looking for quick answers or searching for a specific piece of information. And out of that small fraction that engages with your content, an even smaller percentage will actually convert. You may see them again, or you may not. This is where retargeting comes into play.
Retargeting allows you to reach out to customers that have previously come in contact with your content, be it via your website or through email marketing campaigns. These customers are already familiar with your brand voice, your products, and services. So how can you tailor your messages to ensure that you drive them to the next stage of the sales funnel? Simple—by using Facebook for instance, you can see which users interacted with various posts. Based on that, you can then micro-target those consumers for specific campaigns.
Recycle Your Content
Since all social media platforms are inherently visual, why not get creative with the content you share on them? Think videos, GIFs, infographics, podcasts—these are just some examples of the type of content you could easily create by simply repurposing existing material. All you have to do is make use of the content you already have and essentially repackage it.
For instance, you could use research and statistics from an article off your website to create an infographic which you can then share on Facebook and Twitter accompanied by a link to the original article. Not only will this allow you to engage your audience in a different way (by using visual content, not just written), but it will also help you generate more traffic for your website.
A case in point is the “Whiteboard Friday” video series by Moz. They promote the same content in both video and written format.
Link Your Website and Social Media Channels
Want to redirect traffic from your website to your social media presence and vice-versa? Great! All you need to do is add social media buttons to your website, preferably at the top right corner of the page. Just be mindful about their placement—the product, pricing, and features pages are proven to be the most ineffective for social sharing.
Connecting your website to your social media platforms is a great way to engage consumers and remain at the forefront of their consciousness. And it works the other way around too—by adding a link to your website on your social media handles, you enable your customers to find more information about your brand, increasing awareness and visibility. It’s a simple albeit effective tactic for connecting with your target audience on a deeper level.